Alex Genov

As a seasoned customer and market research professional with a PhD in Behavioral Psychology, I am passionate about the transformative power of AI technologies to drive business success and improve human lives. 
 
In today's AI-driven landscape, characterized by both excitement and anxiety, many business leaders hastily adopt AI out of "fear of missing out" (FOMO). This often results in a lack of focus and resource wastage. I advocate for a practical approach to AI adoption, accelerated by a deep understanding of customers as individuals. Securing the best business outcomes from AI comes from combining quantitative data and algorithms with a genuine customer-centric culture, developed through rigorous customer and market research. At Zappos, I pioneered and led the Voice of the Customer program, growing the database of customer comments from 0 to 800,000 over the course of 10 years. By applying advanced text analytics AI, our team were able to act on opportunities to enhance the digital customer experience, saving $1.4M a week by addressing issues in a single area of the customer journey. The potential for improving the entire end-to-end customer experience was even greater. Details available on request.
 
With an experience and learnings-rich career in transforming customer feedback into actionable insights, I excel in environments where the Voice of the Customer is not only heard but acted upon. My background in Experimental Social Psychology and storytelling allows me to craft compelling narratives that resonate within teams and in the wider market. At Zappos, I led efforts to prioritize empathy in customer research strategies, breaking down silos and mentoring future leaders. For instance, by collaborating with UX, Marketing, and operations, we conducted a survey on customer sentiment towards return policy value propositions, directly influencing key strategic decisions affecting millions of customers. Details available on request.
 
Zappos generously supported and encouraged my work as an author and keynote speaker.  In that capacity, I shared insights on the human stories behind customer interactions and transactions, part of my proven leadership approach that emphasizes empathy and a customer-centric mindset. My commitment is to leverage my experience to balance technological innovation with a profound understanding of customers, ultimately driving positive business outcomes. One of my proudest achievements is influencing the implementation of guest checkout for the first time in the retailer’s 25-year history, setting the stage to significantly increase site conversion rates. Details available on request.